Sunday, February 7, 2016

Mission Statement

"Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol him, all peoples! For great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!" (Psalm 117:1-2).


Earlier this morning the pastor was talking about each of us having a mission not suggested but commanded by the Lord. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, and soul.

We can consider it our mission statement from Jesus.

It seems that all clubs, groups, organizations, and businesses have mission statements--communication to one and all of just what the organization is all about; the most effective mission statements are those that are simple, direct, and to the point. Isn't that just like the perfection of our Lord? Our mission statement can be found in Matthew 22: 37-38: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. this is the first and greatest commandment." Direct, specific, and a true challenge to each and every one of us.

Just how do we carry out this mission? Of course, we love the Lord our God--but we are to love Him with all our heart...all our soul...all our mind. Not some...all.

Quite a mission. This is not a typical mission statement that exists for a very finite amount of time to be revisited and edited. This mission statement is perfection from the beginning. It is eternal. It is our duty.

So how do we live up to this ultimate mission statement? I feel very inadequate to give any suggestions. The longer I thought about this all afternoon, the more I decided that prayer is my only answer. Meditation is needed throughout the day; upon rising in the morning, mindful prayers as the day carries on, and at the end of the evening before going off to sleep. Our mission challenges--no commands--us to love--truly love. In order for us to work toward this greatest command, we need to work diligently...perhaps the most diligently we will ever work on anything in our lives. 

Let's accept the mission as well as the mission statement. What better work in the world is there for us to do?

Peace be with you.